When I met Xuanjie, he was a tiny and lovely one-year-old baby.

But during our first few play sessions together, I noticed something unusual. Xuanjie did not make any noise. He did not interact with me vocally, and did not react to the sound of my voice.

I mentioned my concern to my supervisors and they arranged to have him evaluated by professionals who discovered that he had severe hearing loss in one ear, and fluid buildup in the other. Little Xuanjie could not hear us!

Treatment was started to clear his healthier ear of the fluid. Once he gained back some hearing, I started doing speech therapy with him. Every day, we did exercises together to practice his sounds and gradually, to learn words.

Xuanjie is a very smart and determined little boy, and he caught up quickly. Now, almost one year later, he can say many words like ‘mom,’ ‘sister,’ ‘sit,’ ‘eat,’ and ‘grandma.’ He can also string words together in simple sentences.

Xuanjie is also much more outgoing and social. He is always the first one to greet others in the playroom, and loves to chat with the other children.

I am happy we were able to give Xuanjie the help he needed to find his voice and to thrive!